Friday, April 15, 2016

Student organization reaches out to local women’s shelter

Fri, 15 Apr 2016Shelley Andrews :: LUCOM Marketing and PR

Manicures and massages don’t sound like the typical afternoon of a medical student. But that’s how one Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine (LUCOM) student organization will spend a couple of hours on April 28, part of a service project for the YWCA domestic violence shelter in Lynchburg.

LUCOM-American Medical Women Association (AMWA) is organizing the event for the second year in a row.

“As a club, we have a focus on empowering women. We also have a focus of helping those who are in need. This project is a great way to serve and to love on women and their kids in the midst of a season of great pain,” said student-doctor Audrey Mikhail, LUCOM-AMWA president, class of 2018.

LUCOM-AMWA will visit the shelter to provide manicures and shoulder massages to the women, as well as play with the children and hand out gift bags. Aside from the pampering, student-doctors will also teach the women about heart health and the importance of well-woman exams.

“This gives us an hour to remember why we originally wanted to come to medical school, helps us to refocus our vision, and gives us a chance to lift our eyes out of the books to see the bigger picture,” said Mikhail.

“As student-doctors of Liberty University and residents of Lynchburg, giving back to the community through an act of service and educating these women on simple, effective ways to help their health reinforces the mission of LUCOM,” said Ronnie B. Martin, D.O., dean of LUCOM.